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Is It Normal For Pericarditis To Last For 7 Weeks?
Question: Is it normal for pericarditis to last for 7 weeks? Is it normal for the pain in the center of my chest to not go away after taking Advil/colchicine for 2 weeks? Should I be concerned about constrictive pericarditis at this point?
Brief Answer:
I would explain as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome back to Ask a Doctor service!
I understand your concern and would explain that acute pericarditis usually resolves in a couple of weeks, while chronic pericarditis may last many weeks, up to some months.
The pain in this region could be related to different possible causes other than pericarditis : local inflammation, costochondritis, pleuritis, etc.. So, we can not come into conclusion only based on the fact that Advil/colchicine did not relieve the pain in a couple of weeks.
It is important follow up with a cardiac ultrasound, in order to examine the presence and quantity of the fluid in the pericardial space.
Regarding constrictive pericarditis, if you have no symptoms like : shortness of breath, leg swelling, abdominal distension, fatigue and weakness, these is no reason to worry about it!. Anyway, the cardiac ultrasound will give a lot of information about this issue too.
Hope you will find this information helpful!
If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask me again!
Wishing all the best,
Dr. Iliri
I would explain as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome back to Ask a Doctor service!
I understand your concern and would explain that acute pericarditis usually resolves in a couple of weeks, while chronic pericarditis may last many weeks, up to some months.
The pain in this region could be related to different possible causes other than pericarditis : local inflammation, costochondritis, pleuritis, etc.. So, we can not come into conclusion only based on the fact that Advil/colchicine did not relieve the pain in a couple of weeks.
It is important follow up with a cardiac ultrasound, in order to examine the presence and quantity of the fluid in the pericardial space.
Regarding constrictive pericarditis, if you have no symptoms like : shortness of breath, leg swelling, abdominal distension, fatigue and weakness, these is no reason to worry about it!. Anyway, the cardiac ultrasound will give a lot of information about this issue too.
Hope you will find this information helpful!
If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask me again!
Wishing all the best,
Dr. Iliri
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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